DH Kaiser Co. uses acoustical engineering to improve sound quality

Tuesday

Nov 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM

William H. Hannon, president of DH Kaiser Co., calls himself a problem solver. The acoustical engineering firm designs and analyzes how a room will, and should, sound. And when a room is too loud, or has too much echo, or just makes it hard to hear, the company comes up with a solution.

By Jessica HolbrookCantonRep.com staff writer

You're at a popular restaurant with friends and family. The kitchen is bustling, the television is blaring, other customers are laughing and chatting and eating. The combination creates a cacophony of noise that swallows your table and turns conversation into gestures and repetition.

William H. Hannon can fix that.

The president of DH Kaiser Co. calls himself a problem solver. The acoustical engineering firm designs and analyzes how a room will, and should, sound. And when a room is too loud, or has too much echo, or just makes it hard to hear, the company comes up with a solution.

Hannon purchased DH Kaiser, a seller of architectural specialty products, in 1983. He relocated the business from Lyndhurst to a small, red building in Canton. A few years later, Hannon got into selling acoustics.

"I realized there are people making products, but darn few who apply them and apply them best," he said.

Hannon said the company doesn't just sell materials, it sells solutions and possibilities.

"I don't look at myself as a panel salesmen, I look at the problem solving. It's the engineering behind it that makes it work. I have to create a desire in people to have good acoustics — a quiet space or however you want to define it," he said.

SOUND MEETS SOFTWARE

Hannon developed predictive software to help Kaiser with that mission.

They start with an AutoCAD, or computer aided drafting, of a room. The software takes into consideration the volume of the room and the building materials used — every piece of construction material absorbs or reflects sounds differently. The software then predicts different acoustic functions, like how long it will take for sound to fall below the level of hearing (called reverberation time) or how easy it will be to understand a conversation in the room.

The company uses that information to establish a goal for the room, predicated on its function. A band room would be totally different than a choir room, Hannon said.

The company then goes back later with a handheld device to test the room and see what they've accomplished. Often they do better than expected.

ACOUSTIC ALTERATIONS

Kaiser has a few ways of reaching its goal.

If it's a new construction, the company can suggest different building materials for the architect to use.

The software allows the company to plug in different materials and see what those changes would do. It has a big database of problems and a big database of solutions, Hannon said.

For example, painted concrete block absorbs only 5 percent of sound while stained concrete block absorbs 30 percent. Switching out some of the painted block for stained block can cut down on noise in a school gym.

For both retrofit jobs and new construction, the company can suggest and install different panels and other additions to alter a room's acoustics.

Kaiser modifies panels at their office, creating custom mounting hardware and changing a panel's size, shape or density when needed. They also order custom panels fit to their criteria.

Sometimes a job requires a unique solution. The company tackled a combination band and choir rehearsal room at Kent State University. Because band rooms and choir rooms have completely different needs, the job required a large, hinged metal panel that can be opened for choir rehearsal and closed for band practice, Hannon said.

At an Orthodox synagogue, he said Kaiser designed a resonating center channel that would amplify the voices of the rabbi and the cantor naturally without the use of electronics.

Places sometimes will spend thousands of dollars on electronic equipment to try to fix acoustics problems, but that's not the answer, Hannon said.

"A lot of people will sell you microphones and amplifiers. A lot of times they put those in rooms with bad acoustics," he said. "People put their faith in the electronics. ... You'll never take the room out of the equation if you don't do something about the natural acoustics."

TV stations, for example, will shut off their air condition units before filming so the sound of the fan isn't heard on air.

"I can fix this for you," he said.

PSYCHOLOGY OF SOUND

People are becoming more aware of, and demanding, better acoustics, he said. Car stereos today are designed specifically to have great acoustics, with the dashboard and the radio designed to work together for great sound.

Acoustics also have psychological and behavioral effects.

When bars are loud, they sell more booze, Hannon said.

And a church congregation won't sing if they can't hear themselves, he said.

Children perform better when a room isn't noisy. When a room has optimal acoustics, attentions span, behavior and communication are improved. It makes it easier for students — who can now hear just as well in the back of class — and less stressful for teachers, he said.

You can see a change in blood pressure between quiet and loud environments, and acoustics make a big difference for children with disabilities like autism, who are particularly effected by loud sounds, he said.

The trick is getting educators to understand that. So Hannon took it a step further and helped write LEED standards for acoustic for schools.

HISTORY

Kaiser isn't the only company that offers acoustic solutions.

"I got into this and said 'Wow. No one's applying this to the common places people go: Bowling alleys, restaurants, band and choir rooms, churches, fellowship halls, Lion's Clubs ... all sorts of places.' "

Hannon didn't go to school for acoustics. He studied political science at the University of Akron, though he did take some engineering classes.

When he got into acoustics, he read books — probably $2,000 to $3,000 worth — and joined the Acoustical Society of America. He started going to conferences and meeting people and seeing their technology. He's still a member of the society and reads its monthly journal.

He also taught a semester at Malone University on the physics of sound and acoustics.

"I guess I just delved into it, and now people pay me for my opinion," he said.

Now, Kaiser has three employees and usually is working with five to 12 clients at time.

Many of its projects are long term, as buildings are built or renovated. The company has been working on the Hard Rock Racino at Northfield Park since last year, for example, he said.

The company tackles projects all throughout Ohio and Western Pennsylvania but doesn't get much work at home.